Background Briefing on President's Meetings
Background Briefing by a Senior Administration Official on the President's Meetings with President Wade and with the Leaders of the West African Democracies
En Route Goree Island, Senegal

MR. FLEISCHER: Good morning. We have a senior administration
official to give you a readout on the two meetings the President has
had.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. I'll readout first the
bilateral meeting with President Wade, and then, secondly, the larger
meeting with the West African democracies.

First, the President expressed his appreciation for President
Wade's leadership and acknowledged Senegal's strong democratic record
in West Africa. The two leaders spoke about counterterrorism, and
President Bush emphasized that the best way to fight terror is to
support the habits of freedom, and that that was represented in his
trip here to West Africa.

They also spoke about security in the region, and particularly
touched on Liberia. The President restated the need for Charles Taylor
to leave Liberia in order to return the country to stability. He also
spoke about the United States will participate with the regional
leaders in trying to bring about that stability, but the nature of that
participation will be based on an assessment that our EUCOM teams are
doing now in the region.

The two leaders spoke about trade, the benefits of AGOA, and the
President expressed a real concern about African countries reducing
trade-distorting subsidies amongst themselves, and also talked about
the need for Africans to work with him in the form of the World Trade
Organization to reduce all agricultural subsidies, and the requirement
for Europe to join in that proposal to reduce agricultural subsidies.

The President talked about the fact that too many Africans are
starving unnecessarily and that the technology is available to end the
famines across Africa through GMO -- genetically modified. He
understood that it was a difficult subject, but he felt that Africa can
grow itself out of famine by utilizing science represented in GMO --
drought-resistant crops and pestilence-resistant crops.

The two leaders talked about HIV/AIDS, the problem of HIV/AIDS in
the country. The President mentioned that there are three means by
which the United States is trying to help Africa address the pandemic
-- one, through its bilateral programs; secondly, through a
contribution to the Global Fund, and he emphasized again the need for
the European countries to also contribute to the Fund; and third,
through its emergency plan, which is really targeted toward those
countries that are having the highest prevalence rates, particularly in
Southern Africa.

Finally, the President talked about the Millennium Challenge
Account and noted that his visit here to Senegal and his meeting with
the West African democracies was meant to reflect that there are many
African countries that are ruling justly, promoting democracy and open
trade, and that's the purpose of this meeting here.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The second meeting also touched on
many of the same themes as the bilateral meeting: trade, MCA, HIV-AIDS,
conflict, and the role of the United States in supporting the region in
addressing those issues. An underlying theme was that all of the
leaders emphasized the importance of them taking the leadership, the
self-responsibility for addressing these problems in strong partnership
with the United States.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No, President Kufuor, the head of
the ECOWAS, talked in general terms about the U.S. support for ECOWAS
in addressing the problems in Liberia, but they didn't ask for any
specific type of support.

Q Not one of them asked for troops?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No, they didn't ask for troops in
that -- in that forum, in the democracy forum.

Q What did they ask for? Just U.S. involvement?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No, they understood that we're
working with Kofi Annan, especially with Secretary Powell as the point
person. They understand that our EUCOM teams are in-country, and so
they didn't -- I don't think -- I shouldn't interpret for them, but
they didn't raise any specific needs, just the need for general
support, understanding that we are in bilateral discussions on this
issue.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The President said that Charles
Taylor needs to leave to return stability. He didn't link Charles
Taylor's exit to any particular USG engagement. It was simply that, for
the broad situation of return to stability in Liberia, Charles Taylor
needs to exit.

Q Before -- so an agreement for Taylor to leave can be worked out
and the U.S. could be there before Taylor has actually left the
country? That's possible?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The President didn't comment on
timing of our engagement or the conditions for it.

MR. FLEISCHER: This is exactly what Richard Boucher, at the State
Department, announced last week, which was the United States will
participate -- or that was yesterday -- the United States will
participate in ECOWAS. The same thing. The United States will
participate in ECOWAS, participate through the United Nations. The
exact form of the participation is what we are assessing.

And as for the timing of it, I think it's fair to say the President
has not received the reports from the assessment team, they have more
work to do. So it will not be for some time until the exact form will
be known.

Q I'm sorry, until what will be known?

MR. FLEISCHER: It will not be for some time until the exact form is
known.

Q But did the President say that U.S. troops will participate in a
peacekeeping force?

MR. FLEISCHER: No. The President said the United States will
participate in ECOWAS.

Q And he also made a reference to the U.N., too.

MR. FLEISCHER: Correct. I just said that -- and the U.N., correct.

Q But not necessarily the involvement of troops.

MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct, the President has not said what he
would or would not do with troops. He's awaiting an assessment from the
assessment team that will look at many areas.